


You're a Work of Art

by edelweiss2121



Category: A3! (Anime), A3! (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Nude Modeling, Nudity, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, the whole company like I AM LOOKING RESPECTFULLY
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29827425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edelweiss2121/pseuds/edelweiss2121
Summary: Izumi saves Kazunari's grade!
Relationships: Miyoshi Kazunari/Tachibana Izumi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

Izumi dropped her bags in her room after a long day. She’d spent a good portion of it on the train, having travelled around looking for solid inspiration for the upcoming Spring Troupe play. The bar was set even higher for props and materials for the set. Izumi didn’t want to let any of the boys down, not with how passionate this particular group was about their craft. She smiled as she gathered her belongings for a long, hot bath. She deserved it after a long day. 

Profanity sounded out from the second floor hall as she meandered down the stairs. Sounds like a detour was in order. She paused in the hall and waited for more noise. Sure enough, it sounded like it was coming from room 202. Izumi had the sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t Muku saying such words, either. The bath would have to wait.

She rapped her knuckles against the wood of the door. “Kazunari? Are you okay?” 

There was a beat of silence.

The door opened and Izumi met Kazunari’s eyes. What was a normally bright and sparkly gaze was currently replaced by a look of resignation, defeat. Izumi’s eyebrows turned up in concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Izumi!” Kazunari sighed dramatically. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do!” 

“What’s happened?” Izumi was becoming more concerned by the minute. Kazunari pulled her into the room and closed the door, then plopped down on the floor. He flung his phone from his hand, watching it bounce onto the rug forlornly. Even in his state, he made sure the phone didn’t actually get harmed. Izumi waited for an explanation.

“I have a huge assignment due in just a few days, and my model just backed out!” Kazunari’s hands were on his head as he sat there, panic flickering in his eyes. “I asked all my usual go-to’s but no one’s available. I can’t believe she flaked last minute like this…” He shook his head. 

“Oh wow, Kazunari, I’m so sorry!” Izumi crouched next to him, a good 6 inches between them. “Is the assignment going to mess up your term grade?” Kazunari simply nodded glumly in response. Izumi’s mouth twisted up in thought. “You said your model’s a girl? What was the assignment? Maybe I can replace her since it’s so last minute.” Izumi thought about how awkward she felt letting Omi take pictures of her, but since then, she’d gotten a little more used to stuff like that.

Kazunari let out an uncharacteristically wry laugh. “Nah, Izumi, I don’t think you’ll wanna help me with this one…” 

Izumi tilted her head. “Of course I want to help you, Kazunari.” Their eyes met and she noticed a distinct pinkness in his cheeks. “Well, it’s just… um…” Something about his hesitation made Izumi think she might regret offering. This feeling was confirmed when Kazunari finished his sentence. “It’s supposed to be a nude portrait…” 

“Uh-!” Izumi’s eyes darted around the room, a million thoughts entering her mind.  _ Nude? As in my body? Naked? With Kazunari? Kazunari?? Am I in good enough shape for this? Is this a trick? But what if he fails his term because I got weirded out? Would we do it right now? I’ve been on a train all day! I’m not even bathed; I probably don’t look or even smell very good right now… _

“I figured you’d feel that way.” Kazunari had seen the look on her face and his eyes had drifted away toward his art supplies. “Don’t worry about it.” 

Izumi’s heart sank. She could tell this was serious. If it was a joke, he would’ve let up by now. “No, um…” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Maybe I can do it. With some conditions.” Kazunari’s face brightened in expression as much as it began to deepen in color. “Anything, Izumi! Really!”

“We’d have to do it when no one else is here, so no one knows. And is there a way we could obscur my face? And  _ no _ gross comments, I  _ mean _ it!” Now that she was talking about the realistic logistics, the butterflies in her stomach were flapping even faster.

Kazunari nodded emphatically. “Yeah, yeah! No one will be home tomorrow morning because pretty much everyone has school or work - and the rest leave, like you! I don’t have class, though, so we can do it then! And I promise, I won’t make a peep that isn’t about the art. As for your face…” Izumi could see his gears working as he tried to meet that request. “I think I know a way. We can talk about it tomorrow. I know you were gonna hit up the bath. You should go… and also, maybe think about whether you really wanna do this.”

Izumi was surprised by that last part. “Huh?” 

Kazunari shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret just because you feel bad for me. Sleep on it and we can meet in the morning, 9 o’clock, okay?” He smiled gently. Izumi hesitated, wanting to assure him she meant it, but simply nodded instead. “I’ll make sure I know what I want to do.” She gathered her belongings, hands shaky at the thought of tomorrow morning. She wasn’t sure if the nerves meant she shouldn’t do it, or if they meant she actually really wanted to, in a way.


	2. The Next Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day has come: time for art!

In the morning, Izumi rose from her bed having not slept much. She spent much of the night considering her decision to help Kazunari for his art assignment. In some ways, it really wasn’t a big deal. They’re both adults and the human body isn’t necessarily  _ always _ sexual. Izumi could appreciate a nude portrait when it was tastefully done. There was just this small part of her that couldn’t place  _ Kazunari _ and  _ Tasteful _ in the same category. She brushed her hair in her small mirror and stared at herself. Izumi had never considered herself the type of woman that would be the subject of such a portrait. It was a lovely thought, if she was being honest with herself. This could be an opportunity to really boost her confidence - so long as Kazunari didn’t make her look like a beached whale somehow. She’d seen his work at that school festival, though, and knew how talented he was from their playbills, too. If anyone could make her look good, it was probably him. Aside from Yuki, who could make anyone look good just by dressing them.

Determined now for some reason, she steeled herself, rose, and headed for Kazunari’s room. 

The dorm was always so quiet after everyone left on weekday mornings. Her footsteps echoed a bit as she approached room 202. She knocked gently and the door opened just seconds later. Kazunari had a light pink flush to him and his eyes were bright. “Izumi!” He nearly shouted. She just smiled sheepishly and stepped into his room. “I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t exactly dress up, since…” She gestured vaguely. Izumi was wearing her favorite robe and slippers, her hair loose down her back, without any makeup on her face. Uncertain if he was going to want her to do something particular with her hair, she didn’t do anything but brush it. Makeup wouldn’t make sense since her face would, ideally, be totally invisible.

Kazunari shook his head, “No, of course!” He smiled, clearly eager, but also clearly trying to hide it. “So, um, you really wanna -- like, we’re gonna do this?” He jammed his hands in his pockets, both of them still standing at the now-closed door. Izumi quirked an eyebrow. “That depends: did you think of a way to hide my face?” 

Kazunari nodded. “Yeah, I think so! It’s gonna take some posing, though. Here’s the assignment prompt.” He handed her a piece of paper. It detailed the class information and described the assignment. It was fairly open to interpretation, requesting a nude portrait in a domestic setting. That could mean just about anything from bathing to cooking to cleaning, Izumi thought, though she didn’t know anyone who  _ cleaned _ naked. Kazunari’s eyes didn’t meet Izumi’s as he said, “I was thinking maybe you could be in bed.” 

Izumi’s eyebrows raised. “In bed?”

Kazunari’s hands were still firmly in his pockets but you could see that he was fiddling with the pocket lining nervously. “Well, it needs to be domestic, and I don’t think you’d wanna be doing many things for hours other than, you know, sitting or lying down. And angled correctly, your arms and the pillows could completely obscure your face without compromising the composition of the piece.” It seemed like Kazunari had actually thought this out a lot in order to meet Izumi’s requirements. She pursed her lips in thought.

“Hmm… Okay. Let’s do this.” Izumi nodded resolutely.

Kazunari, somehow still surprised, stared at her for a moment as if he didn’t register what she said. “Oh! Right, okay!” He went from standing still in front of her to scrambling around the room, gathering art materials. It was obvious to Izumi he had expected her to back out. She slowly walked to the ladder to his bed and stood next to it, uncertain how he wanted her to be once she got up there. Once he was done setting up his art supplies to bring up to Muku’s bed where he’d sit to sketch her, he approached her gently. “I’m going to put your arms and legs where I need them for the portrait, okay?” His voice was soft, patient. Izumi swallowed and nodded, then undid her robe. It dropped to the floor practically silently, the material was so soft. That’s why it was her favorite. She heard Kazunari’s breath catch and braced herself for a comment, but it never arrived. 

They both climbed up into his bunk. Not looking at his face, she let him lead. He first requested that she lay down on her back on the bed and put her hands in her hair. She followed suit, tensely. Kazunari’s voice was as soft as it could get as he asked, “May I?” gesturing with his hands toward her legs. Izumi glanced at her legs, then his face, and saw that there was not an ounce of amusement or lasciviousness in it. He was in artist-mode, it seemed. That allowed her to relax a bit. She nodded. 

Kazunari brought one hand behind her knee and the other against her shin, posing her now-bent leg modestly, revealing nothing she would have objected to, while still illustrating her nudity. The touch of his hands delicately moving her legs a bit this way or that, getting the perfect angle, was both jarring and thrilling. It’d been a long time since anyone had seen her naked, other than a doctor, and doctors certainly didn’t touch her like this. It wasn’t sexual, but it was also very… _ intimate. _ The silence in the room was palpable and Izumi worried that her rapid heartbeat would be audible between them.

“I’m going to pose your arms now, alright?” Kazunari was perched next to her on the bed, waiting for her okay. She nodded, smiling weakly. “You okay?” He whispered as he began to manipulate the positioning ever so slightly of her hands in her hair, the bend of her elbow. Izumi replied, “Yeah, surprisingly okay.” Kazunari gave a sweet half-smile. He was very close to Izumi’s chest and face now as he reached all around her to adjust the bedding. His cologne was subtle but smelled pretty good. She’d usually been able to smell his cologne from a mile away, like he took a swim in it every morning, but maybe he toned it down for her today. 

A few times, he crawled over to Muku’s bunk to see the angle from where he’d be drawing her. He’d return a moment later to push a pillow a bit or fluff up his comforter. It felt like forever before he was content with the positioning of everything. 

“Alright, you look perfect.” He murmured. Izumi’s eyes met his, her eyelids flickering rapidly. He sounded so earnest. Kazunari chuckled sheepishly and sat back, about to go back to the other bunk and begin. “I’ll be over there. Just relax and try not to move, okay?” Izumi just smiled in response, not daring to even speak, so focused on staying still. 

As the time passed slowly, Izumi’s mind wandered. She couldn’t see Kazunari working. That was the price of having her face successfully obscured by creative angling. She stared at the ceiling, thinking about Kazunari in the other bunk. Muku’s bunk. He’d never be able to know she did this. He’d have a heart attack, she was certain. Fortunately, she had a feeling that Kazunari would be keeping this particular fact to himself. Between Masumi’s obsessiveness and Sakyo’s, well,  _ protectiveness _ … Yeah, Kazunari would be wise to keep a tight lip.

The blankets were soft and smelled like the dorm’s lavender and sandalwood detergent. She wondered absent-mindedly if he’d washed them late last night. They would have had to dry outside overnight, so maybe not. Perhaps Kazunari just washed his sheets frequently. That’d be kind of surprising, Izumi thought. Then again, he’s not as bad as she imagined Itaru was about hygiene, so maybe it wasn’t so odd to consider after all. 

There was no telling when Izumi dozed off, but she awoke to the gentlest caress of her forearm. “Izumi,” she heard. “Mm?” Her eyes stayed closed, cocooned in a nice-smelling, soft dream. “Izumi…” She heard again. Suddenly, Izumi remembered where she was. Her eyes snapped open, but she didn’t move, remembering her mission. “I fell asleep!” She exclaimed, immediately becoming tense, an apologetic expression on her face. Kazunari chucked. “It’s okay!” He was sitting next to her like he had been when he was posing her arms. “You didn’t move. You were sleeping very peacefully, I guess.” 

Izumi thought about how she felt. “Yeah, I guess I was. You posed me so comfortably I just… drifted off.” She laughed a bit and Kazunari did, too. They looked at each other for a moment, the reality that Izumi was naked becoming increasingly present in her mind. Kazunari cleared his throat, that familiar pink creeping back into his cheeks. “I finished the piece, if you’d like to see.” He climbed down from the bunks and headed to where he’d placed his completed works. “I can get up?” Izumi asked. 

“Yeah!” 

She sat up slowly, the stiffness of sleeping in one position for a few hours making her movements slower than usual. After climbing down, she was about to get her robe when she realized that Kazunari was holding it up for her already. “Oh… thanks, Kazunari.” She turned around and slipped her arms into the sleeves. Kazunari wrapped the robe around her waist from behind, and just for a second, Izumi’s breath caught. Then, he was gone, back to the table where his work was sitting. Izumi tied the robe off and took a moment to gather herself, realizing she was probably blushing. 

“Ready to see?” Kazunari asked, the proud tinge in his voice beginning to return. “Sure!” Izumi turned to him. He waved her over and Izumi approached to look over his shoulder. When she saw it, she audibly gasped. It was… incredible. If Izumi didn’t know for a fact that this was her, she wouldn’t believe it. Kazunari had made her look, well, amazing, really. Her eyes were wide as she stared at her own legs, her own breasts, her arms and the way they ever so delicately aided the pillows in masking her identity. “Kazunari…” She breathed. Kazunari looked up at her expectantly, waiting for the verdict. 

“I love it!” Izumi couldn’t hide the smile. “You’re so talented! I already knew that, but this is - wow! Really, wow. I can’t believe that’s even me.” She laughed. Kazunari grinned proudly, but then he got a perplexed look on his face. “You can’t believe it’s you? But you live with yourself every day. How do you not see that this is what you look like? You’re  _ literally _ a work of art!”

Izumi was used to the flirtations, the come-ons, the pick up lines. Kazunari loved teasing her like that. This felt different, though. He looked almost insulted that she didn’t recognize what he believed to be a fact about her. Izumi swallowed, not quite able to tear her gaze from his. “Th-thank you.” She whispered. Kazunari shook his head. “I’m only being honest.” That cheeky smile was back and Izumi finally managed to look anywhere but his face. 

She checked the time. “Whoa! I should probably go get dressed. It’s almost lunchtime! Some of the guys might get back soon to eat.” Kazunari nodded, “Yeah, we don’t wanna get caught like this. Might give the others the wrong idea.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Thank you Izumi. I really owe you one. No, I owe you, like, a dozen!” Izumi smiled and then turned to leave, but paused. Turning back to Kazunari, she did something she never imagined she would have ever done, even just a day before. Leaning down to where he sat at the table, she gave Kazunari a delicate kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Kazunari.” 

Both of their faces were flushed pink as she hurried toward her bedroom.


	3. Bonus - The Reactions of Mankai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mankai Company’s reaction to Kazunari’s newest art piece!

Kazunari brought his work home after presenting it in class, thoughtless to the fact that maybe Izumi might want him to conceal it a bit better. After arriving in the lounge, Kazunari dropped his stuff by the couch and hit up the kitchen to see if Omi had made any goodies. He could hear a couple people shuffling in as well, and that’s when the commotion started.

“Wh-wh-whaaaaa-!” Muku exclaimed, redder than anyone had ever seen him. This, of course, made everyone come and take a look at whatever it was making the poor kid sputter like this. “Oh, damn…” Banri said. “That’s a fine piece, if you know what I mean.” He snorted at his own joke, as Yuki rolled his eyes. Yuki glanced at the art then walked away with a wave of his hand. “Eh, bodies are bodies. Come on, Muku.” He yanked Muku away, who was still frozen in shock. Banri called over Itaru, who had just gotten home. “Hey man, check this out. Kazunari drew a naked lady.” Itaru peered around Banri and nodded approvingly. “Kazu has some imagination to draw this up. I mean, there’s no  _ way _ a girl like this actually got naked for him.”

Tsuzuru took a passing glance at the art, wide-eyed, and then excused himself. When Sakuya got home, he saw the painting and said something about it feeling disrespectful to look at a lady like this and excused himself, too. One by one, the boys gathered around. Citron praised Kazunari’s talent, stating that he obviously is bedfellows with the most beautiful of women. That got some laughs. Kazunari, who had finally realized his mistake, had been trying and failing to get the artwork out of Banri’s hands for a few minutes now. 

Izumi came home at the same time as Masumi. The commotion caught both of their attention, so they followed the noise. At this point, Homare and Azuma had also joined in the fun. Even Omi was enjoying the banter a bit, though not contributing much personally. As soon as Izumi saw the art, she gasped, but stayed quiet otherwise. Masumi took one look at it and immediately called Kazunari a son of a bitch. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at Masumi. “Whoa, dude, where did that come from?” Banri asked, chuckling. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Masumi pointed to the artwork. “That’s Izumi.” Like a group of clones, every head in the house turned at once to the art piece, then to Izumi, then back to the art piece. Izumi laughed nervously. “What!? There’s no way I’d ever-! As if I would-!” Homare laughed airily. “Yes, Masumi, you must be mistaken. This angelic and properly prepossessing beauty is far too sexy to be our adorable little Izumi!” 

Izumi nodded fervently, “Yeah! Wait - what?” Masumi insisted, “You think I haven’t pictured her naked enough times to know her when I see her? I’m not saying she posed for it. I’m saying Kazunari is a son of a bitch who imagined her naked.” There was a general mix of sounds, some considering his point, others disgusted by it. Itaru replied, “Wouldn’t that make you a son of a bitch, too?” Banri nodded and pointed at Itaru. “Good point.”

Omi piped up. “Izumi?” Izumi turned, owl-eyed, and shook her head. “It’s not me!” Kazunari stepped forward. “Alright, this has been fun, but I can’t let you guys bother Izumi about this anymore. Obviously, there’s no way she’d get naked for me. We all know that!” He ran his hand through his hair casually. “I mean, I’d be hella down if she offered, but…” Izumi crossed her arms and looked at him, eyebrows raised. Kazunari gestured at her. “As you can see, that ain’t happenin’!” He snagged the piece of art from Banri while he was distracted and headed toward his room. Taichi followed him like a puppy. “Hey Kazu! Whoever she is, is she single? Can you introduce us?” Izumi watched them go. The lounge began to empty out, people roasting and praising Kazunari in equal measures. Izumi sighed and fell onto the couch, relieved and hoping that she didn’t have to lie anymore today - or ever. She was so bad at it. Hopefully everyone would just forget soon enough. 

Someone cleared their throat from behind her and it made her jump. Sakyo was staring a hole into her when she looked up. His eyes were so intense when he got like this. “Did he coerce you?” There was a beat of silence. She could never lie to Sakyo, could she? “No…” Sakyo looked doubtful. Another beat of silence. “I offered, really!” She was whispering. “His model flaked on him last minute and he was going to fail if he didn’t get the project done. There’s a reason you can’t see the face in the drawing.” Suddenly, she was questioning her choice, but her identity was effectively concealed for everyone but Masumi - which didn’t shock her. And Sakyo, she supposed, though she had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn’t have thought it was her if he hadn’t witnessed her lie to everyone. 

Sakyo’s arms were crossed. It looked like he was assessing her. She looked back, uncertain what he would say. “So long as it was consensual…” Izumi nodded to confirm that it was, in fact. “Very well.” His mouth was a firm line as he left Izumi with her thoughts. Sakyo’s apparent judgment aside, Izumi felt a swell of pride in her chest at the praise the piece had gotten from the boys. It was a hit! She wondered if Kazunari was satisfied with his grade.

Just as she was heading to her room, her phone buzzed. It was a DM from Kazunari. She opened the image. A selfie with his artwork, face close to her naked form. The text read, “Aced the assignment, thanks to my secret weapon! Let’s do it again sometime ;)”

Izumi was suddenly flustered, tucking the phone away. She may or may not delete the photo later. For now, she had to go decompress from all the stress of the day, on top of having to lie to a group of actors.

Maybe keeping Kazunari’s selfie wouldn’t hurt, though. Just for memories’ sake...


End file.
